As if she had been a tryin’ to get the answer to some momentous question and deep conundrum, and hadn’t got it yet, and didn’t seem to know when she would get it. Dretful sad eyes, and yet sort o’ prophetic and hopeful eyes too, once in a while. Them eyes fairly drawed my attention offen the young babe, and I found that I wuz, in spite of myself, a payin’ more attention to the nurse than I did to the child, though he is a beautiful boy, beautiful and very forward. Wall, I entered into conversation with Genieve, and I found that she had lived in that neighborhood ever sence she wuz a small child, her mother havin’ owned a small place not fur from Belle Fanchon. Her mother had gone out nursin’ the sick, and Genieve had learnt the trade of her; and then she had, poor child, plenty of time to practice it in her own home, for her mother wuz sick a long time, and sence her death Genieve had gone out to take care of little children and sick people, and she still lived on at the little cottage where her mother died, an old colored woman and her boy livin’ with her. There wuz a few acres of land round the cottage that had fruit trees and berry bushes and vines on it, and a good garden. And the sale of the fruit and berries and Genieve’s earnin’s give ’em all a good livin’. Old Mammy and Cato the boy took care of the garden, with an occasional day’s work hired, when horses wuz required. The fruit and vegetables Cato carried to a neighborin’ plantation, where they wuz carried away to market with the farmer’s own big loads. And there Genieve had lived, and lived still, a goin’ out deeply respected, and at seventy-five cents to a dollar a day. I felt dretfully interested in her from the very first; and though it is hitchin’ several wagons before the horses’ heads, I may as well tell sunthin’ of her mother’s history now as to keep it along till bimeby. As long as it has got to be told I may as well tell it now as any time, as fur as I know. Maggie told it to me, and it wuz told to her by a woman that knew what she wuz a sayin’. Genieve’s mother wuz a very beautiful quadroon who had been brought up well by an indulgent and good-natured mistress, and a religious one too. There are as good wimmen in the South as in the North, and men too. She had educated Madeline and made a sort of a companion of her. She wuz rich, she could do as she wuz a mind to; and bein’ a widder, she had no one to say to her “Why do ye do so?” So she had brought up Madeline as a sort of a pet, and thought her eyes of her. Wall, this mistress had some rich and high-born French relatives, and one of ’em—a young man—come over here on a visit, and fell in love the first thing with Madeline, the beautiful quadroon companion of his aunt.